As I was sitting here in the Superior Courthouse North County Juror “Lounge” hearing the usual spiel about taxes and jury service being the only two required actions for US Citizens, I was stuck again by the stark idea that voting is, of course, not a requirement. But should it be, as it is in other countries? I don’t know my own answer to that; I need to know more. Perhaps you do too!
And as coincidence would have it, in checking emails during a break I found the Brennan Center for Justice has a webinar on this very subject. If you’d like to learn note about the idea of universal voting – join me in attending this information session.
Tuesday, May 17, 6–7 p.m. ET (rescheduled from April 12)
RSVP for this virtual event
American voters turned out in record numbers in 2020, with a 13 percent jump from 2016. Even so, we lag behind many other democracies — including Belgium, Sweden, Australia, Uruguay, and South Korea. How would our country be transformed if we did away with arguments over voting rights and instead committed to an election process where every citizen not only has the right to vote, but a requirement to do so?
Twenty-six countries require participation in their elections. In 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting, co-authors E.J. Dionne and Miles Rapoport argue that the United States should follow in their footsteps. After all, Americans are required to pay taxes and serve on juries. Join us for a conversation with the authors and New York City Council Member Alexa Avilés about universal voting and how to implement it.
SPEAKERS: E.J. Dionne, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; Columnist, Washington Post; Co-author, 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting // Miles Rapoport, Senior Practice Fellow in American Democracy, Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School; Co-author, 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting //Moderator: Alexa Avilés, Member (District 38), New York City CouncilRSVP
Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
120 Broadway, Suite 1750 New York, NY 10271
646-292-8310
brennancenter@nyu.edu
